Make the switch and start enjoying faster broadband

Fibre Broadband is available in my area, so I get faster speeds instantly, right?? NO!

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council Cabinet member responsible for broadband, said:

“Around 43,000 homes and businesses have access to fibre broadband from the new fibre network built by Connecting Shropshire but, to date, only about 20% of these have made the switch to fibre broadband. This is partly because people assume that, when fibre broadband becomes available in their area, they’ll automatically get faster speeds. That’s not the case.”

Now, you might be wondering – “well how do I get fibre broadband then?”

First, you need to check to see if fibre broadband is available to your property, and you can do this using our online checker – http://connectingshropshire.co.uk/when-and-where/. If fibre broadband is available – because the network we’ve built is open to all internet service providers – we recommend that you shop around to get the best deal by using a comparison website, such as: https://www.cable.co.uk/connectingshropshire/. You’ll then need to contact your chosen internet service provider to make the switch to fibre broadband.

Knowing how to upgrade may not be enough of a tempter for you to go through with it. So why should you?

• A fibre broadband internet connection not only gives you faster download speeds, it also gives you far quicker upload speeds, which to some businesses is critically important
• It provides a more reliable connection that more people in your home can use at the same time. That means you can be video calling a friend in Australia, while your partner is streaming a programme on catch up TV and the kids are gaming online without your connection being affected
• It may not be more expensive depending on the service provider and package you choose.

In short, it makes things in life more easily accessible and opens up a whole range of possibilities that may not have been available to you, your family or your business before. 

The fibre cabinet in Astley gives around 100 properties in and around the village access to fibre broadband, should they wish to ‘make the switch’.

Don’t just take our word for it, this is what a man from Astley told us,

“I am now able to connect a laptop, computer, two mobile phones and a TV to the internet all at the same time and everything is running fine at a speed of 37mbps, up from 2.3mbps previously. I immediately noticed that my iPad is much faster, and uploading photos to Flickr is really quick.”

But did it cost a lot more? No! This customer was able to upgrade to a package with their internet service provider that includes phone line, most calls and superfast fibre broadband for marginally less than they were paying previously!

However, if fibre broadband isn’t already available to you, you can follow us on Twitter (ConnectingShrop) or register for alerts on our website (http://connectingshropshire.co.uk/) and we’ll keep you updated so you know when and how you can make the switch to fibre broadband.